Honduras Participates in the 68th United Nations General Assembly

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Mary Elizabeth Flores FlakePermanent Representative of Honduras to the UN

The Honduras delegation participating in the 68th United Nations General Assembly is headed by the Honduran Presidential Designee, María Antonieta Guillén Bográn, who expressed that Thursday’s event was productive. Prior to arrival at the UN gathering, the Honduran delegation outlined plans for the high level meetings and reviewed available opportunities to ensure this venue proves to be beneficial for Honduras.

Thursday began with renewing diplomatic ties with friendly countries, and establishing new connections. The Honduras delegation participated in the following activities.

Among the more important high-level activities, Honduras’s Minister Mireya Agüero Corrales, the Director of Foreign Policy, Nelson Valencia, and Mary Elizabeth Flores Flake, Permanent Representative of Honduras to the UN, attended this forum where the achievements of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were discussed. This meeting brought together world leaders in order to review progress, challenges, and the way forward with regard to the MDGs, taking into account there are only 805 days remaining to reach the 2015 target date agreed to in the Millennium Summit in 2000.

Upon completion of the discussion, the Heads of State and Government adopted a final document which molded their determination to intensify efforts to achieve the MDGs, and pledged to build a development agenda post-2015. To that end, they agreed to launch a process of intergovernmental negotiations at the beginning of the 69th session of the General Assembly. This agenda intends to reinforce the international community’s commitment to the eradication of poverty and sustainable development.

Meeting with Minister of Singapore

As part of the bilateral program, Minister Mireya Agüero Corrales attended a friendly meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Singapore, Mr. K. Shanmugan. At the meeting, Corrales highlighted the excellent state of bilateral relations between the two nations, and the desire to strengthen them by signing agreements to increase trade and cooperation. She highlighted the interest of our country to seek strategic partners like Singapore to participate in the development of projects such as the logistics corridor.

High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development

Honduras also participated in the first meeting of the High Level Forum on Sustainable Development, whose constitution was one of the main outcomes of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil in 2012. The busy activity was attended by officials from the Foreign Ministry and the Technical Coordinator of the National Sustainable Development Council (CONADES), Xiomara Cubas.

One critical outcome of the Rio+20 Conference was the decision to establish a universal intergovernmental high-level political forum on sustainable development. The forum, under the auspices of ECOSOC, will conduct regular reviews, starting in 2016, on the follow-up and implementation of sustainable development commitments and objectives, including those related to the means of implementation, within the context of the post-2015 development agenda.

National Coordinators Meeting of CELAC

Deputy Foreign Minister Roberto Ochoa and Multilateral Policy Director, José Lorenzana participated in the VI Meeting of National Coordinators of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), which currently Cuba chairs. On the agenda this year, was the Russian proposal to establish a permanent mechanism for political dialogue and cooperation between Russia and CELAC, and meetings scheduled for the coming months, such as the Senior Officials Meeting on Science and Technology to be held in Brazil and the meeting of Energy Ministers to be held in Jamaica, both in October, as well as the meeting of Finance Ministers to be held in Ecuador in November.

Honduras Foreign Minister Mireya Agüero Corrales

Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs with Vice President of the European Union

The Vice President of the European Union, Catherine Ashton, invited Honduras’s Foreign Minister Agüero Corrales to join a group of about 15 women present as Ministers of Foreign Affairs in New York, to attend a special meeting called for the purpose of being able to converse personally, and exchange professional experiences and perspectives in their capacity as high profile women diplomats. Ashton is both the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

UN General Debate

The delegation of Honduras maintains a constant presence at the General Debate which began last Tuesday, and this year takes place in a temporary room, while making renovations to the iconic lounge of the UN General Assembly building. The discussion brings together the highest authorities of the 193 member states of the organization.

Honduran Presidential Designee (Vice President), María Antonieta Guillén Bográn will address the the plenary of the UN General Assembly today, Friday, September 27, 2013, representing the President of the Republic, Porfirio Lobo Sosa. The UN General Debate continues today, and high-level dialogue on international migration and development is scheduled for October 3rd and 4th.